ARE YOU THERE GOD, IT'S ME, MARGARET by Judy Blume and EARTH! MY FIRST 4.54 BILLION YEARS by Stacy McAnulty

Once again at our June meeting we were unanimous in our opinions on both of our books. We began with our novel, Are You There God: It's Me, Margaret by Judy Blume. We had decided to read (or re-read!) this book because of the recent release of the movie and to see if it would still hold up today. It did! Even the granddaughter of one of our members agreed! We all marveled at its simplicity as 1/2 Jewish, 11-year-old Margaret experienced pre-teen angst related to what -- to her -- were the most important things in her life: 1) whether her bust would ever grow, 2) when she would ever start her period; and 3) how she could figure out what religion she was. We agreed that her voice was very real as she talked to God, and that her descriptions of her interactions with new friends after moving from NY to NJ, her parents, and especially her Jewish grandma were authentic...along with the descriptions of a party, the various boys in her class...from cutest to -- not so much -- and her quest to find religion by attending services at a temple and at other churches. We thought the book also had some quite subtle points related to the adults in the story, which were great to read, even tho' we felt most young readers would probably miss them. We loved the special relationship she had with her grandma, and understood her sorrow when Grandma moved from New York to Florida. We were a group of seven definitely 'grown-up' women, and this book caused us to have one of the most personal discussions we've had -- about 'girl stuff' -- and how we each -- at Margaret's age -- or a bit older -- reacted to the changes that were happening (or not!) in our bodies and in our lives. We remarked that this is the joy and the strength of a terrific book: the way it provides room for personal reflection and can even garner great conversations. We thought that young readers of today could certainly relate to Margaret's story and we hoped it could get them sharing their own stories with each other also.

We adored Earth! My First 4.54 Billion Years by Stacy McAnulty, illustrated by David Litchfield. We thought that the simple language that conveyed the story of Earth and its development and place in the cosmos was so accessible to young children -- either as a read-aloud, or if read independently. Although most of us loved the illustrations, and the personification of Earth as a talking 'being' with a face, teeth, arms, etc., one reader thought those illustrations were a bit garish and creepy, although she loved the text along with the rest of us. We were pleased with the ending, showing a variety of the Earth's people carrying a large banner that read, "WE LOVE YOU, EARTH," and we hoped that young readers/listeners would get the message about how important it is to 'be nice' to our home planet. We felt that the double-page spread of Back Matter which included specific facts related to the Continents, the Location of Earth, and Life on Earth, along with a list of Sources could be especially helpful for classroom use at many different grade levels, and could be a kickoff for further study and research on the part of students.

COUGAR CROSSING by Meeg Pincus and GREENGLASS HOUSE by Kate Milford

Once again we were unanimous in our reactions to both of our books. Usually we begin with our picture book, but this time we decided to start with the novel, Greenglass House by Kate Milford, because we wanted to get it out of the way because -- well -- here are some of the comments: didn't finish it; too much effort/no payoff; didn't hold the reader's attention; too slow; chapters were too long; too convoluted; too complicated; couldn't figure out when/where the story happened; disengaged parents; main character, Milo, not compelling; secondary character, Meddy, not nice/too bossy; plot had too many names/stories to remember; and I could go on, but I won't. A couple of readers did finish it, and -- on the positive side, liked the natural setting, the vocabulary used in the description of the windows of the house -- varying shades of blue and green, and the fact that Milo, who was adopted, was Chinese, unlike his adoptive parents (although it took ages to get into his actual adoption story.) We did feel that some kids might like the role-playing that Meddy & Milo got into, and other aspects of the mystery, but as a whole we were far from giving it a thumbs up.

We unanimously gave a HUGE thumbs up to our gorgeous picture book, Cougar Crossing by Meeg Pincus, illustrated by Alexander Vidal. We loved the way it described the life of P-22, a local Los Angeles puma who had been born in the Santa Monica Mountains in 2009, and was ultimately tagged in 2012 by the National Park Service (NPS) in Griffith Park, miles away in the middle of northeast L.A. It appeared that he had crossed two freeways in order to make his home in the park, and this set off a huge fundraising campaign to create a wildlife crossing over a major southern California freeway. We loved the way his story was told through clear, simple text and beautiful, earth-colored (rusts, browns, blues, greens & black) collages, and further embellished on many pages with framed circular sidebars which showed a cartoon-style conversation between Miguel from the Natural History Museum and Jeff from the NPS that created a running commentary about what was happening. We thought it was a fantastic book with a fantastic story about a fantastic animal, and how his life made the wildlife crossing, which will be completed in 2025, a reality. We felt it gave a good description of how wildlife fares in a big city, and we thought young readers could learn a lot about how people and animals can co-exist. We especiall liked the Back Matter which contained a timeline of P-22's life, facts about pumas/cougars, suggestions for further research, and a great double-page spread of Wildlife of Southern California. A couple of readers questioned whether kids/teachers outside of So. Calif. would be interested in this story, but we determined that it could serve as a model for people in other areas to explore what animals might be living in their own surroundings, and what might be done to make their lives better. Sadly, P-22 died in December 2022, but many more animals of his 'tribe' will be helped by the wildlife crossing. We were glad to end our meeting with this book that we all loved.

JUST TRY ONE BITE by Adam Mansbach and MR. PUTTER AND TABBY STIR THE SOUP by Cynthia Rylant

We began with our picture book, Just Try One Bite by Adam Mansbach, illus. by Mike Boldt. We all mostly liked the premise of the role reversal between two parents and their young kids who tried to convince them to cut down on 'junk food' and eat more healthily. BUT -- we felt that this book missed the boat since it was quite 'one-note' with no real arc of a story and a basic lack of imagination. We felt that the attempt at rhyming text was awkward and often fell short. We also thought it was too long, sometimes too preachy, and some thought it was irritating and outlandish. We did like the illustrations with their realistic depictions of the 'bad' and 'good' foods, also shown, respectively, in the front and rear endpapers. We liked the premise of showing kids good eating habits and we felt that some kids might enjoy reading this, but we hoped that maybe another author/illustrator would present this idea in a better way at some time in the future.

For our 'novel', Mr. Putter & Tabby Stir the Soup by Cynthia Rylant, illus. by Arthur Howard we were unanimous in an outpouring of love! Some of the adjectives mentioned by more than one reader were: wonderful, welcoming, sweet, gentle, and tender. We thought this very short chapter book had everything a good book should have: 1) a great beginning; 2) emotion -- shown in the text and the fantastic illustrations; 3) repetition used to good advantage, 4) suspense & cliffhangers; 5) a good, believable story line, 6) humor; and 7) warm relationships between the characters. We thought it would be perfect for new 1st or 2nd grade readers, who could guess unknown words via context and/or illustrations, and would feel a great sense of accomplishment after finishing the 5 chapters. One reader called it, "...the kind of book I love"...'nuff said.

CURVE AND FLOW: The Elegant Vision of L.A. Architect Paul R. Williams by Andrea J. Loney and CLEMENTINE by Sara Pennypacker

We began our discussion with our picture book, Curve & Flow: The Elegant Vision of L.A. Architect Paul R. Williams by Andrea J. Loney. We all agreed that the digitally created illustrations by Keith Mallett were stunning and elegant, and that it was a very good pairing of artist and author. We felt that the issue of race, as African-American architect Paul Williams was confronted with many challenges -- 'walls' of discrimination that he had to conquer -- was treated with grace and delicacy, while clearly providing the necessary message to readers. We mostly liked the exposition and language of the text, except for a couple of readers who felt that the use of "But" at the beginning of several sentences was excessive. We also questioned the title "Curve & Flow," which was also repeated extensively as Williams' story was told, since -- other than the iconic Theme Building at Los Angeles International Airport, which IS 'curvy' and 'flowy' -- the majority of Williams other architectural creations are quite linear. We thought this might be misleading for young readers. We thought  it was a definite plus that this book covered Williams' entire life, which is very rare for even a 44-page picture book bio, since his early life with a loving family who adopted him after both parents died from lung-related illnesses was as important to who he became as were his later degrees and experiences. We wholeheartedly approved of the excellent Back Matter, which included an author's note, an extensive timeline, a list of sources, and photos of several Williams buildings. We all agreed that it was important that this book about a Los Angeles notable (for a change!) is out in the world, and that it would be a great read for all kids -- probably 3rd grade and above -- a definite inspiration for young Black readers, as well as an excellent example for all of persevering one's dream.

We had a great discussion about humor after reading our novel, Clementine by Sara Pennypacker, illustrated by Marla Frazee. All but one of us loved it for a variety of reasons, but one reader -- not so much. She thought it was thin, boring, lacked richness, somewhat colloquial, and not so funny. She felt that although it would probably serve to get kids into reading 'longer' books, she preferred books with role models who weren't always getting into trouble through their actions. Others of us loved the book entirely. We thought it was a well-edited, heartwarming, reassuring, tightly written book without a wasted word, and that Marla Frazee's lively black ink drawings worked perfectly with the text. We thought the vivid details of Clementine's narrative of her 8-year-old daily life were entertaining, and several of us were reminded of female heroines from books of earlier times like Eloise and Ramona Quimby. We loved the way Clementine's arty, energetic parents honored her 'out-of-the-box' way of looking at the world, as they surrounded her with love. We came to the conclusion that each reader has a different conception of what is actually funny; it can depend on age, culture, life experiences, and view of the world. We felt that Pennypacker really knows her audience of young readers, and that -- given the book's popularity -- they are eating it up.

THE GREAT ZAPFINO by Mac Barnett and THE WATSONS GO TO BIRMINGHAM by Christopher Paul Curtis

We began our discussion with our picture book, The Great Zapfino (2022) by Mac Barnett, illustrated by Marla Frazee. We all loved the black Prismacolor pencil illustrations, which actually served as the main vehicle to tell this story, which begins with a very few words as "the Great Zapfino" -- a young man/boy (?) climbs a 10-story ladder at the circus, walks out on a platform and then prepares to dive down onto a trampoline. BUT WAIT! -- where is Zapfino? It seems that he got scared and disappeared and after a taxi/airplane/taxi ride ends up taking a job as an elevator operator at a seaside hotel. He even gets his own apartment on the tenth floor! The bulk of the story is told with large and small very sensitive and expressive drawings which show young Zapfino's daily life as it passes between work and making toast and sleeping in a chair at home. The expressions on the faces of the elevator riders are bored/happy/excited/inquisitive/celebratory/amorous/and more, but the expression on Zapfino's face is always...sad. When Zapfino falls asleep in his chair as his burning toaster sets the apartment on fire, he runs to the window, and -- his courage returns and he jumps! he twists! he turns! he dives!-- straight into the firefighters' net. He is a hero! ...and now -- at the very end -- he is smiling as he stands beside his elevator door with a big Z on the front of his uniform! Behold the Great Zapfino! We mostly liked the story as Zapfino found his courage, and did it for himself -- without help from anyone. We thought this might be a good message for young readers. But one reader felt that perhaps it might not be so good for young kids to see the actions in this book. Perhaps it needed a "Do NOT try this at home" disclaimer. We were unsure that it would work as a read-aloud, but felt that youngsters would individually enjoy really exploring all of the visuals as the pictures told the story.

We chose our novel, the Newbery Honor book The Watsons Go to Birmingham -- 1963 by Christopher Paul Curtis, to see if it still held up 28 years after its original 1995 publication. We decided that it basically does. We all liked10-year-old Kenny's voice as he introduces us to his family by commenting on their lives, daily activities, personal quirks, and some family history. When Kenny's 13-year-old brother Byron, who Kenny describes as an "official juvenile delinquent" has some problems, it is decided that the family will drive from their home in Flint, MI to Birmingham, AL so By can live for a while with his Grandma who will certainly ' 'straighten him out'. It's a long ride, with various incidents, conversations, music, and events that solidify the family further. There is suspense as we learn that on Sunday a "bomb has been dropped" on the church where younger sister Joey has gone -- all dressed up -- to Sunday school, and then Kenny finds her shoe on the street near the church. We thought that it was important for today's middle-grade readers (age 10+) to be aware of this atrocity that occurred on September 15, 1963 at the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham where the KKK planted the bomb that killed four young girls: three who were 15, and one who was 11 years old. We thought the family's reunion back at Grandma's home at the end left a good feeling for the reader. We appreciated that Curtis included an Epilogue, which gave the reader a short historical perspective on conditions in the U.S. South in 1963 and the Civil Rights Movement which was an outgrowth. A couple of readers felt that the story took too long to actually get to Birmingham (since that was the title) while others thought that really getting to know Kenny and his family made the climax and the ending of the book better. We agreed that it was a good read for the designated age group, and that today's kids might want to give it a look.

WONDER WALKERS by Micha Archer and YOUR PLACE IN THE UNIVERSE by Jason Chin

We had a great discussion of our two picture books at our December Zoom meeting. We began with Wonder Walkers by Micha Archer. We all loved this book. We loved the fact that it dealt with a young sister and brother who were exploring their world on their own, and asking their own questions about it -- without any adults telling them what to look for/at. We loved their closeness, and they way they communicated and understood each other. We loved the fantastic colorful multi-faceted collage illustrations which showed the wonder of the world around them -- as they wondered about it. (We also loved the dual meaning of the word 'wonder'!) We thought that these illustrations, which showed such painstaking detail, were a wonder! We wondered if Archer had done them all by hand OR if she had used digital availabilities. We thought it was the children who actually made every picture meaningful with their bright, inquisitive faces. As for the text, one reader said she became a bit bored with the continual questions, but others felt that the economical text told so much....with the phrases, "I wonder" and "Me too" popping up in the middle of the book, and then again at the very end. We thought this was a great read-aloud, and would be very useful in home and classroom situations in helping young children to become more observant of the world around them. A 'thumbs-up' all the way!

We were equally impressed with our second picture book, Your Place in the Universe by Jason Chin. We loved the concept of how the first illustration pulled the reader in, with its focus on the group of diverse eight-year-olds, as the idea of size was explored, and how in each ensuing spread the 'universe' got bigger as the children, books, animals, trees, and skyscrapers got smaller. We thought that the way Chin showed relative size was not only very clever, but very informative as well. Since it was a challenge to keep the text simple, we liked the way that Chin augmented this by using a different smaller font where specific scientific explanations or measurements were necessary. As the universe was shown to get bigger and bigger, the text always circled back to the kids. We thought the final illustration of the Cosmic Web (even though no-one has ever seen it) was very engaging and compelling. We loved that it ended back with the group of kids -- realizing they were on our Earth -- a little dot in this great Cosmic Web. We thought young readers would find this book very interesting, since it dealt with comparisons they themselves could make as they learned about relative size. We also felt it could encourage kids to further explore STEM possibilities. We were also very pleased with the extensive Back Matter which provided a wealth of additional facts and figures about Earth and its place in the universe.

We loved the relationship between these two wonderful picture books: a sort of left brain/right brain -- facts/imagination exploration of our planet and our place in it.

PAPA LOVES YOU, TINY BLUE by Jo Empson and SPY SCHOOL by Stuart Gibbs

 

Our October meeting was a hybrid with three of our members joining us remotely on Zoom. We began with our picture book, Papa Loves You, Tiny Blue by Jo Empson. We all loved this sparely and beautifully told story of Papa Penguin and his very cute baby, Tiny Blue, who had A LOT of questions as they walked along the beach and swam in the ocean. We agreed that anyone one who has had experience with an inquisitive toddler (including the toddlers themselves!) could relate as Papa very simply and clearly explained the wonders of the world around them and the sea in which they swam – until – he finally said, “Aren’t you tired yet?” We loved the ending as Papa answered the final question, “What is love?” We also loved the lush, mostly bluish and pinkish illustrations throughout, which in many places felt very ‘wet’ – especially when they were exploring the underwater areas. We also liked the addendum page at the very end that explained fairy penguins, the smallest in the world, and gave very simple, scientifically true answers to some of Tiny Blue's questions. We felt that this was a great read-aloud/bedtime story that all would enjoy.

We had a 50/50 split in our reactions to our novel, Spy School by Stuart Gibbs. Half of us thought at first that the book would be really great, due to the title and the chapter headings, along with the military-seeming format telling the location, date, and time of the incidents in each chapter. But sadly, these readers were disappointed due to what they felt was a lack of characterization, too much violence, references that they felt were beyond the knowledge of the 8-12-year old targeted readers, and some plot situations that were just too convoluted to tolerate. Those of us who liked this book more appreciated 12-year-old Ben, the protagonist, who, after being brought to the Spy School as a ruse to catch an internal mole, turned out to be a very smart and intuitive thinker and problem solver, even as he was cast into various scary episodes of intrigue along with the usual middle-school angst common in novels for this age group: friends, girls, relating to teachers, food, etc. We also appreciated the fact that the ‘smartest person in the room’ was the very aloof and brilliant Erica, who had an answer and a solution for almost every situation that arose. Even though we didn’t love all of the weapons and violence, we felt that young readers would enjoy reading this first installment (published in 2012) in what is now a series of ten books, and many of us were interested in possibly reading more ourselves to see what happens to Ben, and whether the author’s style and plot ideas have changed at all, given current issues with school violence, guns, relating to authority, and attitudes of today’s youth toward sex. We had a very interesting discussion, and our differences of opinion are part of why we love our group!